Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-10-19
THE STARS AND STRIPES.
The House in Which the First American
Ensign Was Made.

On Arch street, below Third, stands
little old building, two stories and a
half high, bearing sign which informs
the passer-by that within the house was
made the first American flag and that
in these days he can buy beer or liquor
there.
Early in 1777 committee appointed
by the Continental Congress to select a
design for National flag went with
General Washington to the little shop
Of Mrs. Elizabeth Ross, at 239 Arch
street, to have their ideas embodied in
bunting. Mrs. Ross was milliner
whose principal business was among
the Quaker ladies, and in the projecting
window were hung the correct forms of
the brown and drab bonnets about
whose make up the women of the
Friends society were and are as par
ticular as the lady who now stops ones
view at the theater. General Wash
ington sketched on scrap of paper the
design agreed upon. There were thir-
teen stripes of alternate white and red,
and in the blue union were to be thir-
teen white stars ranged in q circle.
There is a tradition that General Wash
ington ordered that the stars have six
points. She won the day by showing
her visitors how a star with five points
could be made with one clip of her scis-
sors. The flag was made in her little
back room, and Oh July IA of the same
year Congress adopted the design as the
national banner.
The building has changed but little
since then. A large tree which stood
in front of it during the revolution sur
vived until 1876 when it became dam
gerous and was cut down. But the
house stands as it did then. Even Mrs.
Ross show-window is preserved and
the wooden shutters on the second-story
windows and the dormer- window in the
sharply sloping roof are the same that
looked down on Arch street a hundred
years ago.
The bar-room would even now be
recognized as Mr.. Ross shop if one of
that committee could now revisit it.
Passing from this room through a n ar
row entry and up two steps, one enters
Mrs. Ross work-roOm, where, without
doubt, the flag was cut out and sewed
together. 1t is even now queer old
room On its furthest end is the old
fireplace now covered with wallpaper,
but showing at the top row of the
blue and white tiles which once sur
rounded it. Built into one corner is a
three-cornered wooden cupboard. The
very locks and knobs on the doors are
of the pattern of the last century. The
stairways of this house are all winding
and very narrow That leading to the
cellar is very steep. The attic is still
foored with the puncheon boards which
once were the only flooring in the house
an inch thick and eighteen inches
wide. The only new thing about the
whole structure is back kitchen, built
within the last few years.
Mrs. Amelia Mund, comedy German
widow, who keeps the tavern aud owns
the property, told what she knew of the
history of the building since the time of
Mrs. Ross. ut was occupied as tailor s
shop for many years, and my husband
bought it over forty-five years ago.
Neither he nor would allow any thing to
! be changed unless an absolute necessity
to keep the building from going to
| pieces. 1t is strong and well built. and
has needed very little repairing. When
the floor of what was the shop was taken
up some years ago the original floor
was taken away, as it could not be kept
from falling into the cellar. People
came from long distances to get pieces
of it as relics, and one gentleman had a
board made into table and draped it
with the American flag. The house I'M
til two or three weeks ago never had a
sign to tell people that the first Ameri-
can flag was made here, but | thought
people ought to know. Any way, I've
had no end Of visitors to inquire about
the old house. Not many of them were
Philadelphians, for they don't seem to
care much about the relics of the Revo-
luton nowadays, but a great many
Western people and visitors to the city
have come to this house and taken as
much interest in it as they did in indie
pendence Hail.
On either side of No. 239 are tall
buildings used for manufacturing pur-
poses, and the space this relic of history
occupies is becoming too valuable for il
to stay there much longer Mrs. Mund
saws she wishes the Historical Society
would buy the building and move it out
to the park beside William Penn's
Letitia street house. Several ladies have
already become interested in this pro
ject, and the Historical society is sale
to have it under consideration.-Phi
delpl,io Press.
The Clowns Day is Over.